Authorities

United States of America - Competent Authority (Art. 6)

Address

Designated Competent Authority(ies):

The United States of America has three tiers of authorities competent to issue the apostille certificate. The U.S. Department of State Authentication Office affixes apostilles to documents issued by Federal agencies of the United States.

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Passport Services, Vital Records Section affixes apostilles to Consular Reports of Birth, Death and Marriage of U.S. Citizens abroad and certificates of birth and death originally issued by the Panama Canal Zone Government between 1904 and 1979.

The Clerks and Deputy Clerks of the Federal Courts of the United States are authorized to issue apostilles on documents issued by those courts. As an alternative, the U.S. Department of Justice may authenticate the seal of the Federal court and the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office will then place an apostille over that seal.

Public documents issued by U.S. states, the District of Columbia and other U.S. jurisdictions may be legalized with an apostille by designated authorities in each jurisdiction, generally the state Secretary of State’s office.

Department of State: http://www.state.gov/m/a/auth/
National Association of Secretaries of State, Notary Public Administrators Section (providing information about the authorities in the individual U.S. states who affix Apostilles to documents originating in those states):www.nass.org.

II. All clerks and deputy clerks for the following:

Supreme Court of the United States
United States Court of Claims
United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
United States Court of International Trade
United States Courts of Appeals for the following circuits:
District of Columbia Circuit
First Circuit
Second Circuit
Third Circuit
Fourth Circuit
Fifth Circuit
Sixth Circuit
Seventh Circuit
Eighth Circuit
Ninth Circuit
Tenth Circuit
Eleventh Circuit

United States District Courts for the following districts:
Middle District of Alabama
Northern District of Alabama
Southern District of Alabama
District of Alaska
District of Arizona
Eastern District of Arkansas
Western District of Arkansas
Central District of California
Eastern District of California
Northern District of California
Southern District of California
District of Colorado
District of Connecticut
District of Delaware
District of Columbia
Middle District of Florida
Northern District of Florida
Southern District of Florida
Middle District of Georgia*Northern District of Georgia*Southern District of Georgia*District of Hawaii
District of Idaho
Central District of Illinois
Northern District of Illinois
Southern District of Illinois
Northern District of Indiana
Southern District of Indiana
Northern District of Iowa
Southern District of Iowa
District of Kansas
Eastern District of Kentucky
Western District of Kentucky
Eastern District of Louisiana
Middle District of Louisiana
Western District of Louisiana
District of Maine
District of Maryland
District of Massachusetts
Eastern District of Michigan
Western District of Michigan
District of Minnesota
Northern District of Mississippi
Southern District of Mississippi
Eastern District of Missouri
Western District of Missouri
District of Montana
District of Nebraska
District of Nevada
District of New Hampshire
District of New Jersey
District of New Mexico
Eastern District of New York
Northern District of New York
Southern District of New York
Western District of New York
Eastern District of North Carolina
Middle District of North Carolina
Western District of North Carolina
District of North Dakota
Northern District of Ohio
Southern District of Ohio
Eastern District of Oklahoma
Northern District of Oklahoma
Western District of Oklahoma
District of Oregon
Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Middle District of Pennsylvania
Western District of Pennsylvania
District of Puerto Rico
District of Rhode Island
District of South Carolina
District of South Dakota
Eastern District of Tennessee
Middle District of Tennessee
Western District of Tennessee
Eastern District of Texas
Northern District of Texas
Southern District of Texas
Western District of Texas
District of Utah
District of Vermont
Eastern District of Virginia (E)
Western District of Virginia (W)
Eastern District of Washington
Western District of Washington
Northern District of West Virginia
Southern District of West Virginia
Eastern District of Wisconsin
Western District of Wisconsin
District of Wyoming

District Courts for the following territories:
District Court for the District of the Canal Zone
District Court of Guam
District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands
District Court of the Virgin Islands

A short, all-encompassing and more manageable description for II would be:

"Clerks and deputy clerks of the following:
The Supreme Court of the United States, the Courts of Appeals for the First through the Eleventh Circuits and the District of Columbia Circuit, the United States District Courts, the United States Court of Claims, the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals, the United States Court of International Trade, the United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone, the District Court of Guam, the District Court of the Virgin Islands, and the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands."

Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for Public Records beginning in 1981 through January 13, 1995)Deputy Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (beginning January 16, 1995 through November 16, 1995)Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (from November 17, 1995)www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/precom/comidx.htm

Under Secretary of State; Assistant Secretary of State for External Affairs; Assistant Secretary of State; Chief, Certifications Office; Director, Office of Protocol; Assistant Secretary of State for International Affairs, Chief, Certification Office

Virgin Islands of the United States

no authority designated".

* By Note dated 12 December 1997, the Embassy of the United States of America in The Hague informed the depositary that in accordance with Article 6, paragraph 2, the Legislature of the State of Georgia has designated the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority as the only appropriate entity to issue apostilles in the state of Georgia effective 1 February 1998.
By communication dated 2 November 2006, the State Department informed the Permanent Bureau that for New Jersey, the competent authority is now the New Jersey Division of Revenue.
By communication dated 3 August 2009, the Embassy of the United States of America in The Hague informed the depositary of additional competent authorities for the state of Connecticut.